The nest

This photo melts my heart.  While I didn't know it at the time, it embodies so much about what we loved in Nebraska.  Soccer was so difficult for my son when we arrived, as his anxiety and all the change had stripped his confidence.  But, soccer is also what brought back.  Seeing him finish this last game with his team he'd been with for two years was such a strikingly different moment than his first.  Confident, fast, smiling, and happy.  He scored goals, defended and hustled.

His beaming sister next to him saw his example and couldn't wait to join in on her own team.  I'll never forget watching her from the sidelines as she smiled and ran every single game.

Behind them is our lilac tree in bloom.  I remember when the landscaper recommended it, and I'd been pretty hesitant at first.  But, as it was planted, I loved the shape.  And loved to watch it bloom.  We never realized we'd only see it bloom twice.  I think our most favorite part about the tree is it was home to baby robins both years we lived in the home.  And since it was close to our window, we had a front row seat to see those beautiful blue eggs turn into hatched chicks (we even rescued one when we saw it try to fly out a little too early), only to discover them gone almost as quickly as they had arrived.  The first year, we watched the momma work tirelessly on building the perfect nest.  Amazing speed, work ethic, and precision.  The second year, another momma found the old nest at the last minute.  As if she'd let time slip by a little too quickly, and needed a place to stay.  With just a little sprucing up, she made it home.

And, this picture embodies how in that moment, while we knew change would be on the horizon, we had no idea how drastic or swiftly it was to come.  Beautiful reminder to savor those moments in the present.